Elgin congregation plans for new church
The congregation at St. Paul United Church of Christ in Elgin expect to enter the next phase of their very long life with a new place of worship.
The church, founded in 1875, started on Division Street in Elgin's downtown. It's second home was built over the first but was sold in 2009 to the Vineyard Church of Elgin as the St. Paul congregation further explored purchasing a new property.
Myron Meglin, president of the church council, said the downtown area got crowded as people moved from walking to services to driving. At the same time, the congregation moved farther west.
“Downtown Elgin was a central, easy location to get to for our membership, but now the demographic center of our congregation is out near Randall Road,” Meglin said.
The proposed church would be built at the corner of Plank and Switzer roads in Elgin — a bit smaller than the Division Street location and a better fit than the current rental space in the Northwest Corporate Park off Randall Road.
Meglin said the sanctuary will be big enough to seat up to 200 people with Sunday school rooms and an area for social events. The congregation will take a vote Jan. 15 to decide whether to begin construction now.
Drainage issues on the new property are the only things standing between the church and approval by the Kane County Board. Meglin said he hopes to secure the rezoning approval Tuesday.
Shales McNutt Construction has been hired as the builder with Carlson Architecture contracted for the design work. The entire project could be up to $1.75 million, plus the cost of the property and furnishings.
With a fundraising drive well under way, Meglin said, the congregation is ready to move forward and potentially break ground in April.
“We intend to have our Christmas worship services in the new building,” he said.
In a time of shrinking church memberships, Meglin St. Paul's is an older congregation looking to be more contemporary and relevant in today's world. He said church members plan to stay involved in community projects from the new location, with a continued commitment to helping service organizations like PADS, food pantries and the Community Crisis Center.